The MTA reveals significant increase in Metro passengers in 2022: There were more than 1,000 million

Sasha Salazara young Latina residing in the Bronx Countybecame this Tuesday the 1 billionth passenger in taking the New York subway so far in 2022, which incidentally confirmed a positive increase this year in more New York users using the public transportation service, which dropped dramatically after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Jan dearrevealed the significant increase in Metro passengers, during a press conference at the 161 St-Yankee Stadium station, in The Bronx, where he assured that the Big Apple continues to show signs of recovery, since users increased by more than 40%compared to the figures for 2021.

“Billion (users) only on the subway and the Staten Island Ferry, is positive. Last year the figure was below 700 thousand. We are moving well, even knowing that from the beginning of 2022, with the time of the omicron variant, people were in their homes for a couple of months, or at least six weeks ”, said the head of the MTA. “The mass transit system is to New York like the air and water we need to survive as a city. It doesn’t work without it, and we’re proud to be a part of the recovery.”

Lieber noted that the New York Subway is the spine of the city, and mentioned that although the current daily passenger figures are between 60 and 70% of the data prior to the COVID pandemic, the goal is that in 2023 more New Yorkers will get on the train.

“These months we have seen a lot of progress and we are going to make sure that next year we are above 70%, and all this to get New York back and work as it was before, that we support the economic recovery and that people can resume their normal lives,” added the MTA official. “A billion is a big number in terms of where we were and how people are moving; it’s a big mile, better than last year and a hell of a lot better than 2020. It’s a sign of progress.”

The figures for 2022 show, according to the MTA, that the Big Apple’s transportation system is moving towards the levels at which the COVID pandemic began, since since 2019 there had not been a figure greater than 1,000 million subway users.

Despite the good news, which includes figures for MetroCard users and payment with the Omni system, the MTA president pointed out that Metro evaders, who often jump the turnstile, continue to cost the system millions of dollars, and although He had assured that at the end of this year he would present a report on the way in which this problem will be addressed to stop it, he mentioned that he is still in talks with judicial authorities.

“We are in dialogue with other Prosecutors to reach some consensus about some issues associated with payment evasion and our policies. (The report) will come,” Lieber added.

Richard Daveypresident of New York City Transit, was confident that passenger numbers will continue to grow next year, and although he personally congratulated the 1 billionth user, who received a gift box and two envelopes, he also appreciated all passengers in 2022.

“Thank you very much to those 999,000 more passengers for trusting us. Cleanliness and safety will continue to be our goal. I also thank the 47,000 employees who help run the system, behind the scenes, the police officers, and everyone who is helping with normalization. Thank you for traveling on our system and we look forward to the highest ridership record by 2023,” Davey said.

The New York Governor Kathy Hochulapplauded the progress in the growth of Metro users, and assured that it is the result of the work that the authorities are doing.

“We have been working hard to bring customers back by providing a safer, cleaner and faster service, and reaching 1 billion passengers by 2022 is evidence that our work is paying off,” Hochul said. “New Yorkers and tourists alike continue to flock to the subway, proving that there is no better way to get around New York City than public transportation.”

The subway transported to 760 million customers in 2021 and 640 million in 2020. And average daily ridership is currently hovering around 60 percent from pre-pandemic levels, when annual ridership was 1.698 million.

And after receiving recognition as the Metro’s billionth passenger of 2022, Sasha Salazar mentioned seeing positive changes in security and service issues in the Big Apple Metro, and especially appreciated the increase in police presence in the stations. .

“In New York we all use the train every day, and we appreciate the work you do, especially the improvements you’ve been making. I thank you for that and I feel honored and happy. Today I just entered the station thinking it was going to be a normal day and this happened,” said the Hispanic user. “I like to see that there are more police officers and that makes me happy, especially because I am a woman, and at night it gets more insecure and this (the presence of uniformed officers) makes me feel safer“, concluded the user 1,000 million of 2022.